Improvement in apparatus for lighting gas by electricity



A. T. SMITH. Apparatus for Lighting Gas by Electricity.

No, 146,953, 2 A I Patentedlan.27,1874.

fifty/716. 466

m $4 ZMT I W v w? j l UNITED STATES PAT ADOLPH THEODOR SMITH, OF EEW'YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING GAS BY ELECTRlCITV.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,953, dated January27, 1874; application filed December 13, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPH Tnnonon SMITH, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new and Improved Electric Gas-Lighter; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawingforming part of this specification, in which drawing- Figure 1represents a rear view of this in vention when the gas cock is' open.Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the same while the gas-cock is being opened.Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same while the gas-cock is being closed.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to an electric gaslighter of that class in whichthe mechanism for producing the electric spark or sparks is connected tothe gas cock and set in motion as the cock is being opened. Myimprovement consists in the arrangement of a toothed segment and a camon the plug of the gas-cock,

said toothed segment being made to act on a vibrating circuit closingand breaking key, which carries a revolving dog acting on the cam insuch a manner that during the operation of opening the gas-cock thetoothed segment is permitted to act on the circuit closing and breakingkey, and a series of electric sparks are produced which serve to lightthe gas, while during the operation of closing the gas-cock the circuitclosing and breaking key is thrown out of gear with the toothed segment,and the batterypower is reserved for the opening of the cock, and at thesame time the mechanism is saved from unnecessary wear.

In the drawing, the letter A designates agas-burner, which is insulatedfrom the supplypipe B by a union, O, of india-rubber or' other suitablematerial. On the burner is secured a metallic point, a, which connectswith one of the poles of a galvanic battery. The gas is admitted to theburner A by means of a gascock, D, and on the plug of thiscock issecured a toothed segment, b, which engages with a lever or key, E, thatswings on a pivot, c, and is subjected to the action of a spring, (I,

' which has a tendency to throw the tip 0 of said lever in contact withthe point a of the gasburner. The key E is in metallic contact with thesecond pole of the battery, and when the gas-cock is being turned openthe toothed segment b imparts to the key E a vibrating H10- tion,causing the tip 0 to, advance to and recede from the point a of theburner, thereby producing a series of electric sparks which serve tolight the gas as the same begins to escape from the burner. To the sideof the toothed segment I) is secured a cam, g, which acts on a dog, h,that is pivoted to the key E. \Vhen the gas-cock is full open the pointof the dog h catches behind a shoulder, i, of the cam, (see Fig. 1,)being brought in this position by theaction of a spring, j. When thecock is being closed the shoulder i throws the dog up to the positionshown in Fig. 3, a stop, It, serving to retain it in this position, andby these means the key E is thrown out of gear with the toothed segment,the tip 0 is held out of contact with the point a, and the batterypoweris saved, and at the same time the mechanism is preserved againstunnecessary wear.

hen the cock is completely closed the point of the dog h drops in frontof the end of the cam g, and as the cock is being opened said dog isthrown in the position'shown in Fig. 2, the key E is permitted to dropin gear with the toothed segment I), and by its repeated vibrations therequired sparks are produced.

By this arrangement I am enabled to light the gas on a large number ofburners with a comparatively small battery-power, and by imparting tothe key E a series of vibrations during the time the gas-cock is beingopened the operation of lighting the gas does not de pend upon a singleelectric spark, but a number of sparks are produced, so that the gas islighted without fail.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is r 1.The toothed segment I) and cam g, in com bination with the gas-cock D,vibrating key E, dog 11, tip 0, gas-burner A, and point a, all combinedand operating substantially in the manner herein shown and described.

2. The combination of a toothed segment, I), with a gas-cock, D, key E,tip e, gas-burner A, and point a, substantially as set forth.

ADOLPH THEODOR SMITH.

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENI-IUBEB.

